The smoking ban 3 years later- your thoughts/observations

For me, the smoking ordinance has immeasurably improved my dining experience. I now go to restaurants that I would not have entered pre-ban. I actually eat out more. I also head out to listen to live music more often. For me it's a total plus. Glad to see so many in the industry posting here that the ban hasn't hurt revenue.

(Kudos to NABC for voluntarily asking smokers to go outside on January 3, 2011! I can appreciate this was not an easy decision by Roger Baylor - http://www.newalbanian.com/article917.html)

Thanks, Hank. Obviously, we're not located in Kentucky, but my report on the first two months: January was a great month without Gravity Head, February better with GH, and it's been very positive overall. It is instructive what the servers have reported: Returning customers express amazement at being able to smell the food, and many new faces are being spotted.

As a former smoker I am thrilled with the ban. I do feel sorry for the smokers who have to stand outside in bad weather, but I never considered smoking to be appropriate with dining. My thinking was that I smoked all day long but people eat only two or three times a day; it was common courtesy not to light up when someone's food was delivered. 'Bah!' to the government interference argument, kudos to Mr. Baylor. I took my wife to NABC six months ago and was appalled to find patrons smoking in the restaurant. I just assumed he was being a rebel then; I guess he is a true rebel now.

Ironically, we walked into a restaurant in Sellersburg that allows smoking today for lunch, and immediately turned around and left after getting a smell of the place. The smoking section even had a glass door leading to it, but the smell still managed to permeate the non-smoking section. In this case, a lack of smoking ban cost them our business.

I am not surprised- this is the same reaction I've been hearing for some time. Are there any more bartenders or servers who could share a thought?

I'm a musician by trade, and I mostly play nightclubs in the Metro area. I'm also a former smoker. I have to agree with Dan about the smell thing (thanks for coming to the Blue Mule, BTW). I had no idea how bad I must have smelled to non-smokers.

From my perspective, the ban hasn't put much of a dent on the bar business for those who are lucky enough to have a smoking area. I've recently stop accepting gigs in Southern Indiana because of the smoke. I get a lot of fans from Indiana coming over to Louisville to see me play, but the overwhelming response from Louisvillians is that they won't go to the Indiana bars because of the smoke. I was very afraid that the smoking ban was going to kill the bar scene, as smoking and drinking is a time honored Louisville tradition, but I don't really think it has. Some places seem to be doing pretty bad these days, but I don't think the ban has anything to do with it.